Device for opening tubular carriers.



F. Q.'HOAGLAND.

DEVICE FOR OPENING TUBULAR GARRI ERS.

APPLICATION FILED APR. 28, 1913.

WITNESSES:

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

INVENTOR M W A TTORNE Y STATES PAT FRANK O. I-IOAGLANID, OF BRIDGE PORT, CONNECTICUT, ASSIG-NOR TO THE UNION METALLIC CARTRIDGE COMPANY, OF BRIDGEPORT, CONNECTICUT, A CORPORA- TION OF CONNECTICUT.

DEVICE FOR OPENING TUBULAR CARRIERS.

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To all whom it may concern:

Be it known thatI, FRANK O. HoAeLAND, a citizen of the United States, residing at Bridgeport, county of Fairfield, State of Connecticut, have invented an Improvement in Devices for Opening Tubular Carriers, of which the following is aspecification.

This invention has for its object tov pro vide an opening device for tubular carriers of the class illustrated and described in patent to myself No. 1,025,525, dated May 7, 1912, which will open the closing piece of a carrier in the easiest and most expeditious manner possible and without injury to the closing piece, so that the closing piece may be returned to the closing position and the tube may be continued in use and refilled if desired, and which shall be so inexpensive to produce that the openers may be given out freely with the carriers without adding appreciably to the cost of the carriers. Referring to my said former patent, it will be noted that the base of the tube is closed by a closing piece which is a strip of the material of the body itself. This closing piece is preferably formed by making a single cross cut in the body a short distance from the end, leaving both ends of the closing piece attached and springing the closing piece, 73. e. the material of the body, between the cross cut and the end, inward. This construction enables me to shorten the body to the minimum and provides a perfectly safe closure which will securely retain the cartridges in the body, is not detachable, will not open in use and will last as long as the body. It will be noted that the closing piece is an arccorresponding with the curvature of the body. The material of the body is sufficiently resilient so that the closing piece must remain in either the open or closed position; this for the reason that the closing piece is longer than the chord of the arc and must bepushed past a line corresponding with the chord of the arc in either opening or closing. The closing of a carrier is effected by simply springing the 010s ing piece inward. To open, it is simply re-. quired to spring the closing piece outward, which will leavethe passage unobstructed.

It has been found in practice that while it is perfectly practicable to use a lead pencil or any convenient implement to open the Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Dec. 30, 1913.

Application filed April 28, 1913. Serial No. 764,052.

closing piece, it is verymuch better to provide openers with the carriers which shall be so designed as to effect the opening of the closing piece in the simplest manner possible and without danger of marring the closing piece, and which shall be convenient to carry about and so inexpensive to produce that the loss of one or more of them is no consequence.

Especially valuable features of my novel opener are that it thoroughly irons out the closing piece, making the passage clear and preventing injury to the closing piece by the cartridges and that it is equally convenient in pressing the closing piece inward to the closing position, after removing cartridges or re-filling.

In the accompanying drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a perspective of the base or closing end of a tu bular carrier made under my said patent referred to, the closing piece being in operative position; Fig. 2 a similar view illustrating the preferred way of introducing the opener in the opening operation; Fig. 3 an elevation partly in section illustrating the completion of the opening operation, but before the opener is withdrawn, and Fig. 4: is an elevation of an opener provided with shoulders to limitits inward movement.

My novel opener may be made of wood, fiber or any suitable light and inexpensive material. It is preferably made round, of just suflicient diameter to enter closely a tube of the size with which it is to be used, and of any convenient length. The body or handle is provided with a cylindrical operative portion 8, the end of which is beveled at an obtuse angle to the axis of the body, the purpose of which is to form a short wedge-like entering projection indicated by 10.

To accomplish the best results, the enter ing projection is inserted under the closing piece, as in Fig. 2, to spring the closing piece outward, the opener being then pushed inward and rotated simultaneously to iron out the closing piece, leaving its inner side flush with the inner wall of the tube. By providing the opener with a round operative portion of a diameter to just pass within the tube closely, I am enabled to open carriers without danger of injury to the closing piece and to effectually iron out the closing piece on the inner side; this for the reason that, owing to the obtuseness of the angle of the entering projection, the entire inner side of the closing piece is engaged by the operative portion when the opener is rotated. It has been found in practice that the desired result cannot be obtained so easily and quickly and without injury to the closing piece by the use of a lead pencil or by any implement not specially adapted for the purpose.

In F ig. at I have illustrated a form in which the body is made of slightly greater diameter and is turned down at the end leaving stop shoulders 12 which limit the inward movement of the opener. The opener is shown as made alike at both ends for convenience in use.

Having thus described my invention I claim:

A device for opening tubularcarriers of the character described comprising a body having a cylindrical reduced portion forming a stop shoulder the end of said reduced portion being beveled to form a wedge-like entering projection.

In testimony whereof I affix my signature in presence of two witnesses.

FRANK O. HOAGLAND.

.Vitnesses I A. M. VVoos'rnn, S. W. ATHERTON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. G. 

